Brandon clears way for affordable housing project
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BRANDON — The City of Brandon and the government of Manitoba hope to alleviate homelessness with a housing complex near the Brandon hospital.
A residential building with up to 48 units is being planned for a city-owned lot at 705 Rideau St., the City of Brandon said in a news release Wednesday.
The project, described as “a significant milestone in the community’s efforts to end homelessness,” will include supports for those transitioning into housing.
Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith called it part of a “historic surge in affordable housing across Manitoba.”
The vacant lot, which covers about 3,508 square metres, was identified as a key location due to its proximity to essential services, transit, the hospital and green spaces.
The city plans to sell the land for $1 and provide a 20-year, 50 per cent incremental tax offset to support the project. Beyond that, the city does not expect to pay for the facility or its operation.
The Manitoba Housing and Renewal Corporation is also onboard, the city said. Its investment could take the form of proposal development and capital funding, as well as operating and support service funding under the Housing Starts Here program.
Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the city has been working on the project with the Manitoba government for a long time.
“I’m really pleased that the province is doing this,” he said. “They’re trying to do a fair bit of housing, and we would like them to do a bit more because we do need people to get into those places. We’ve been advocating for this kind of housing a lot.”
Federal money might be available, as well, through the federal housing accelerator fund, via the City of Brandon’s affordable housing incentive program, the city said.
Brandon issued a request for proposals (RFP) on July 30, asking organizations to submit bids by Sept. 10 to develop and operate the facility, which will offer trauma-informed and culturally appropriate supports.
Jason Gobeil, vice-president of the board of the Brandon Friendship Centre, said the project comes at the right time.
“This is a great idea and a great initiative,” Gobeil said. “Housing has been a crunch in our city for a number of years now.”
There are many people in the city who could benefit from it, he added.
“If you were to look right now at any sort of housing lists out there, there’s probably hundreds of people waiting for a different style of housing than where they’re at, or they’re looking to get initially into housing.”
The announcement builds on recent supportive housing initiatives in Brandon, including a 24-unit transitional housing complex at 353 16th St. North, which aims to help former inmates of the Brandon jail reintegrate into society.
— Brandon Sun